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    rising up

    Houston pastry chefs join nationwide baking event against racism

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 16, 2020 | 3:35 pm

    Pastry chefs across Houston have joined Bakers Against Racism, a national movement devoted to raising money for Black Lives Matter and other related organizations. Held on Saturday, June 20, the event invites diners to purchase special baked goods and other sweets from some of Houston’s top chefs.

     

    Organized by three chefs in Washington, D.C. — Paola Velez, Willa Lou Pelini, and Rob Rubba — Bakers Against Racism has drawn support from over 3,700 participants in 16 countries, Velez tells FoodNetwork.com. The organizers provide participants with some basic guidelines for how to organize an event and suggestions for organizations to contribute to. They also encourage social distancing by asking customers to pay in advance.

     

    Local participants include Kathleen Morgan (Honeychild’s Sweet Creams), Julia Doran (Nancy’s Hustle), and Victoria Dearmond (Underbelly Hospitality). Since orders are live, people should act quickly, because they will sell out.

     

    Here’s a look at the Houston participants:

     

     The Bake Happening: Get a box with eight cookies for $25. All proceeds will be donated to Restoring Justice, a local organization that provides legal defense and social services. DM via Instagram to order.

     

     Bare Bakery: The online bakery will donate 100 percent of proceeds from its chocolate chip cookie dough kits ($25) to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. To order, email orders@barebakeryhouston.com.

     

     Common Bond: The bakery and cafe will donate proceeds from all mocha tarts sold on June 20 to the NAACP.

     

     Honeychild’s Sweet Creams: The farmers market favorite is offering a 4-pack of ice cream sandwiches: sourdough chocolate chip cookies and buttermilk vanilla custard, peanut butter sourdough cookies and mustang grape custard, almond granola cookie and cinnamon brown butter custard, and ritz cracker cookie and grapefruit vanilla custard. Proceeds benefit Sweetwater Farms Education Initiative, a 6-acre urban organic farm that sells grapefruits and other produce.

     

     Koffeteria: The EaDo bakery is selling a trio of profiteroles ($10) with the explanation that "although we may look different on the outside we are all filled the same." Proceeds benefit Black Lives Matter Houston. Order online for pickup through Saturday.

     

     Momo Bakes Cake: Get a dozen cupcakes in flavors such as chocolate, strawberry, and matcha for $35. Baker Monique Pham will donate all proceeds to Black Lives Matter Houston.

     

     Nancy’s Hustle: Pastry chef Julia Doran has a wide range of sweet and savory options for her bake sale, which will begin at 9 am on June 20. They include: 2-piece Nancy Cakes with butter and smoked trout roe; egg, pancetta, and cheese sandwich on brioche English muffin, 2-piece sourdough toast with butter and jam; peach hand pie; and a slice of zucchini-kumquat cake. Seventy percent of proceeds will benefit #BLMHTX, “a black women-led, local community organizing and activist organization that aims to build coalition in order to address issues that impact black lives in the city of Houston.”

     

     Rosie Cannonball: The melba pavlova kit ($24) features all the ingredients necessary to recreate one of the restaurant’s best desserts: French meringue, vanilla chantilly, raspberry sauce, and a pint of peach sorbet. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Center for the Healing of Racism, an organization that aims to heal the hurts caused by racism, empower individuals to become agents of change, and transform communities — all through education and dialogue in a safe, supportive environment. Order via the Montrose Cheese & Wine website by selecting a pickup date of Saturday, June 20.

     

     Underbelly Hospitality: The UB dessert box ($40) includes a variety of Underbelly favorites, including: ca phe sua da carrot cake “fried” pie, black lime pie bar, mini Georgia James apple pie, Chris' birthday cake push-pop, and a rainbow cookie sandwich. All proceeds benefit Pure Justice, a Houston organization that is focused on criminal justice reform and economic equity issues. Order via the One Fifth website by selecting a pickup date of Saturday, June 20.

    Rosie Cannonball's melba pavlova kit.

    Rosie Cannonball Melba pavlova
      
    Courtesy of Goodnight Hospitality
    Rosie Cannonball's melba pavlova kit.
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    roll out

    Self-taught chef slices into Houston with high-quality sushi to go

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 17, 2025 | 5:57 pm
    Kaisen Sushi Houston nigiri
    Courtesy of Kaisen Sushi Houston
    Each order of nigiri comes with a house made sushi sauce.

    The ghost kitchen phenomenon may have diminished somewhat since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the idea of a delivery and to-go-only restaurant still draws talented chefs who want to focus on food at a lower overhead than a traditional brick-and-mortar. One of those chefs is Sunny Bertsch, whose restaurant Kaisen Sushi Houston is already drawing buzz from inner loopers looking for a more affordable, at-home sushi experience.

    Located at the Blodgett Food Hall in Third Ward, Kaisen Sushi serves typical nigiri, maki, and temaki (hand rolls), along with a steak bowl. Prices are a little lower than what someone would find at a typical sushi restaurant, with an eight-piece nigiri set priced at $18.99 when ordered through the Blodgett Food Hall website (expect to pay more if ordering via a third-party delivery service such as Uber Eats or DoorDash).

    While Bertsch’s food may be familiar, his story is not. The diners who’ve rated Kaisen with 4.9 stars on Google may be surprised to learn that he’s only been cooking professionally for two years. As Bertsch tells CultureMap, prior to becoming a professional chef, he worked in fields as varied as aerospace and dog walking.

    “I’d always been interested in cooking,” he says. “I was blessed to be born into a great Korean American family. My dad and my grandparents always cooked great food. I learned by osmosis.”

    Bertsch began his career as a private chef by working for friends. He built his business by catering lunches to powerhouse law firm Vinson & Elkins. Eventually, his clients asked for private sushi dinners, and he had to figure things out.

    “I got an opportunity to do a sushi omakase. It was brutal. It was messy. But I knew once I did that, I wanted to dedicate my life to sushi,” he says. “Since then, I have studied and practiced. I threw a lot of money and time and fish at it.”

    Bertsch improved his speed and knife skills by taking a $13-per-hour job at Japanese grocery store Seiwa Market. While there, he says he made thousands of pieces of nigiri, rolls, and sushi bowls. That experience, along with meals from similar to-go-only concepts in New York and San Francisco, convinced him to open Kaisen as a ghost kitchen.

    “So far, I’ve spent $90,000. That’s more than the average investment for a food hall kitchen,” Bertsch explains. “I’m a clean freak. I’m a technology freak. I’m an authenticity freak. I outfitted my kitchen in the way I thought was necessary for long-term success.”

    Just as he spared no expense in specing out his kitchen, Bertsch puts thoughtful touches into his food, too. For example, every order of nigiri comes with a dipping sauce Bertsch makes himself from low sodium soy sauce, kombu, vinegar, and sake.

    “It’s a complex sauce that’s less salty and tastes good,” he says. “You know when you don’t have it and you’re given cheap soy sauce.”

    Similarly, his California rolls use imitation crab (as do most restaurants), but it’s seasoned with a housemade, Japanese-style kewpie mayo, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and sesame oil for more umami and less sweetness. Since the chef uses more crab mix than other restaurants do in their rolls, Kaisen’s California roll not only tastes better — at $11.99, it’s a better value, too.

    The chef showcases Japanese techniques and Korean influences with his $25 steak bowl. A USDA Choice ribeye or strip is cooked sous vide with a marinade made from garlic, tamari, and seasoning salt. Once a diner orders the entree, the steak is seared in a pan, basted with Kerrygold butter, seasoned with furikake and sesame oil, and served with short-grain sushi rice and microgreens from local farm Zero Point Organics.

    Word of mouth has been building. Even though it’s only been open for a month, Kaisen already has over 2,000 followers on Instagram. Once he’s able to hire a full roster of cooks, Bertsch plans to expand the menu and offer lunch service. Despite some challenges, he’s pleased with the restaurant’s progress.

    “The support I've gotten on social media has blown me away,” he says. “It’s been amazing. I could not have done it without Instagram. It blows my mind.”

    Kaisen Sushi Houston nigiri
      

    Courtesy of Kaisen Sushi Houston

    Each order of nigiri comes with a house made sushi sauce.

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